Means for transportation of low temperature liquids



P 1960 J. H. FARRELL ETAL 2,954,003

MEANS FOR TRANSPORTATION OF LOW TEMPERATURE LIQUIDS Filed Jan. 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet l Stun- INVENTORS 1% army 5 p 1960 J. H. FARRELL ETAL 2,954,003

MEANS FOR TRANSPORTATION OF LOW TEMPERATURE LIQUIDS Filed Jan. 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Auk unsalzer James H. fill-fell mesPgler AlerzsfmqZo/zov rye Y. Robinson J1? INVENTORS Unite States, m fiffb". 19

ron 'TRANsPoRT-AnoNoF Low TEMPERATURE n oums 5 a 'corpo'rafionof the Bahamas FiledJam-16, issm-serpNoinsnsvi '9 Claims. (Clint-74 Ihis -ihventionrelates.to transportationmeans'for-shiphieiitof aliquid in large volume, ands-it relates -more par- ,jlcul'arly to a tank structure of large capacity and :its 7 "for onship transportation as a'conta iner which I uhs'tantially independent of the ship structure.

While the assembly -forming the :suhjectmatter of this invention has general application touthe transportation and shiprneiit or anyTliquid-in large vdlunieinanindepend- {e tfcontainer, it is addressed chiefly .to a means [for the 'ipm entof large quantities 16f .a liquefied hydrocarbon sfatlow'temperature, as representedrby liqufied natural jga idr'ined' principally of methane'ihaving albo'ilinglpoint (tiffiiinus 2'50'1F .a't atmospheric pressure.

Whe'n tr'anSj rting a Vmaterial of the type desctibedin t 0' 'e'vo rne, it is e's'sential'to .employmeans forlhousing lieliq'iii While ataboutjzitmospheric pressuregotherwise r oul d become a T'przictica-limpossibility-to "design aonta'iiijerflofsiich'high volumetric ,capacit-yvvith suificient grh to withhold the jfpre's'sures \vihich would :otherecfome'ope'rative. Because of tth'e low temperature itlons existing withinfthe container, 'iti is desirable ifcfolld frrem "the liquid "and "the Ship structure since the eorder the "liquid would have dleteriouseifecton.lthe steel vvalls and framework of the shipkqhis 'i's to-' be-disting risneerrom th'e'usualfpr'actic'e er ,merlyeonfining' the 40 {if uid withinithe hull of angoeean-goi g oilftanker land fine "ke. r In addition, 7 it i im'portsnt 'fu'r'therv properly nsulate thejcontai'nerito mininfize' transfer of heat to the guid 'co' ntainedfthe'r'eintomiriirniiefloss, 'asby j i olatl ti'on. "'I'he'nee'd for'independenceibetweenthe re" o 'c'or'itainer and the'shipstructure WhiIe simultaneously thetcar'go container prpperl in'shifting movefni'enfdueto the motionof the"ship;presentsafnewand M e situafonl'is' stillfrliftherfaggravatd by the fact thatin the containen hereina'fter 're ferred to as.a1tank, H ihousing the low temperature liquid aridipa'r'ticularlY tanks hi hjfi ef r 'r e ih e ft k 'fp ace i the rfn'ensional characterrst' s; of fthe tank; by'freason-"of'the peraturedropjbefore filling theftank'fand'thetemperan ne gradient that'eigis'ts in unfilled portions dune tank. liquid "-isi 'inir dduced Into the Ttank, temperature filiangesin the. order .o'ft'2'60 F; can take. place, causing J i iinsiderable; change -the dimensional characteristics 6f the tank. iThus there arises the problem oficornpensatging fof these dimen sionalchangesin {the tank --while, at the: same time, maintaining -t-he tank-in: proper relation within' theship so that'- both the -tank and the ship'- structure are fully and'adequately protected froni any possible dama-ge which might btIierWiSe be-"cauSed"hy therolling r r:-pitching 0f =tl1e=ship"or- 'by 's'tress relationships which i I might otherwise -be introduced into the tank. 5 inasmuch ns /th'is has not been arproblm "in the case' of norinal itankers designed 'for earryifiQ-ciil r other' liqu'ids at aboilt ambienttemperaturej there' has b'een no ne'e'd to J "the prseht'forf'providing tanks capzible ofcan- 2mg low qr s a i i in heipo n l the-ta urther "to maintain substantial separation ihetvveen .the I :constructionyand I H Figure, 6 "is an enlarged SCCtiOIlZlf6l6Yat1011al'Ymw' 2,954,003 Patented Sept. 2'1,

$121113. 1 r r r r 'Itfis therefore an olbjectof ,thisinvention to produce-fan independent cargo container which may be safely carried bya carrier which is subject 'to trolling or pitching. V

Another object is to provide'a ,cargo container for a low temperature liquid which embodies means ,to com pensate for changes j'intdirnension of the .cargo Container such as are brought about by temperature changes within the container. v w p .t

A further object is to provide an independent cargo container and means .for mounting the containerfinjjan ocean-going 3768861, and it is ajrelatedobject to produce a container 0']? the type described whichis adapted for use in the transportation of "low temperature -liquids without the development of undue thermal losses of liquid "and without the build-up of dangerous stresses in either the Vessel or container or lementsaassociated therewith. 'These and other objects and advantages of this invention Will hereinafter appear and for purposeslofiillus- 'trati'on, but not of limitation, embodiments of the in- 'venti'on are shown in the accompanying drawings "in 'vvhic'h V r v JFigure '1 is a perspective elevational view of a portion ofthe s'hiptshold showing themeans embodied in -thewpractice of this invention for mountinggthe container; Figure 2isga perspective view "from 'the.'bottom side "ofthe conta'iners'hown 'in Figure 1; i

Figure'B is a sectional view'taken,sribstantijllvfilong ithedine 3l-3 of Figure .1, 'showingthe key in 'thekeywgy 'Figure 4 is "a se'ctionalview"similarEto that or Figure 11131. In accordance with "the ,practice of, fins mvention,

ft'ainer on boar-d ship to "s'taoiliZe thetop and fbottorn 'the 'conta'inerfor imaintaining full and cornplete control of g the imovernents thereof with respect totthe remainder n r h' hi fi ewh e f the same time ne n free expansion and *contrac'tion of *the' container respbn- 'siveto the various temperature conditions jexistin'gfifnt "use; Briefly "described, the desired "relationship ji s achievedfin'an'flicientzandeconomical mannerby ithe f'usepfcahle means interconnecthlg the-top of thefltank with the ships structureto'control and, stabilizeftheftops "of'the'containers, andbythe use'of key and slot means intercolmectingthe bottom or the tank and the insulatingfloorfonwhich it rests' to control and stabilize the hottom 'end portions of the containers; therehy'to taina predetermined;relationship between the sh lp "therontainers therein notwithstanding the'temperatu difierentials existinginthe elements involvedandj fthe shifting of load inrespon se to the. uncontroll? '3 Vez" ments'of'the'ship. a r In'the fdrawings, the-'tankIO'is schematicallyrepresentd as "a rectangularly shaped 'container having walls 1-2 and"14,"aifro nt wall"16 'and a back wall a bottom -wall 20" andatop wall '22. "Suitable 9pc Will-be provided in the. top Wall"f0r, accessj to the int or of the tankfor introducing various pipings through,

thetankgas wellasfor ventingvapors generatdfipn V t thevliguid in the tank responsive "to the absorptio of 'heat. Thermal insulating'material'24 ilines them d" c 51 the tank all around to 'ininimiieiheat transfer-sirens 3, showing a'modification in? the construction ofjthefkeya predetermined distance beyond the center.

the ships frame.

separate the outer walls of the tank from the inner wall 26 defining the hold of the ship in which the tank is located. I

Referring now to the means cooperating with the upper portion of each of the tanks centering and stabilizing .each tank and for maintaining proper alignment lengthwise and crosswise of the ship without restricting expansions and contractions in any direction, there is provided a plurality of cables 30 which are arranged to extend crosswise and lengthwise over the top of each tank.

The larger group of the cables 32 extends across the top angularly upwardly at a low incline from their lower ends attached to ears 36 fixed to the top wall 22 of the tank to their upper ends secured to brackets 38 fixed to a part of the frame structure 40 of the ship.

While it will be sufficient if the lower ends of the cables 30 are attached to the top walls 22 of each of the tanks 10 at any portion between the center and the outer edges of the tanks, it is preferred to secure the cables at their ends to a portion of the tank wall spaced For example, unless means are provided automatically to increase or decrease the lengths of the cables 30, the cables,

.when secured to the center portion of the tanks, will become unduly stressed when the tanks are reduced in height because of contraction and they will become undesirably slack when the tanks are increased in height because of expansions. This is because the point of attachment to the tank will travel vertically in a straight line with the tank while the ends of the cables will tend to swing about an are 42 having its center at the point of attachment between the upper ends of the cables and The diiference X between the vertical position and the corresponding position on the arc will represent the deficiency in length or excess in length of the cables which will operate. to cause unbalance and strain conditions, unless compensated.

In accordance with the preferred practice of this invention, with the tanks held in their centered positions,

'that is, with the centers stabilized, the described difiiculty can be effectively compensated by locating the point of attachment between the cables and the top of the tank a distance Y beyond the center of the tank calculated so that the amount of expansion or contraction which takes place through the distance Y will substantially correspond with the distance X to the end that, upon expansions or contractions, the point of attachment by the cables at the top of the tank will substantially follow the arm 42 thereby to minimize the development of stress or strain conditions and avoid unbalance of the tank. The amount of expansion and contraction of the cables 30 should be subtracted from the distance X or added to the expansion or contaction that takes place through the distance Y in determining the distance Y from the center. This factor is of lesser importance because much of the cable will be at about ambient temperature.

The angular relationship of the cables in the horizontal plane is unimportant although it is expedient to arrange the cables perpendicularly to each other to extend lengthwise and crosswise of the tanks and ship. The vertical angle can also be varied but greatest stability with less strain can be achieved by the use of low angles in the range of to 30 degrees. For purposes of greater flexibility, the cables 30 may be spring loaded to provide a predetermined tension while permitting greater flexibility in the etfective lengths of the cables; thereby to minimize the importance of the spaced relationships defined; however, it is preferred to operate without such 4 intervening spring elements in the cable systems. Various means, such as the turnbuckle means 44, may be employed for taking up any slack in the cables and to tighten the cables to the desired loading in the assembled relation.

The cables themselves should be made of a material whichhas as low thermal conductivity as possible in order to minimize the loss of cold along the cables. For this purpose, it is desirable to employ a metal such as stainless steel or the like for the cables. The angle which the cables form with the top wall 22 will depend somewhat upon the thickness of the insulation, since it is desirable to have the cables pass through the insulation to the ships structure 40. In any event, it is desirable to keep the angle at a minimum Within the designed conditions which obtain in the overall layout of the ship and containers.

Thus, the cables will operate under constant controlled tension to center the top portion of the tanks in maintaining proper alignment within the insulation in the ships structure. To complete the control, independent means are provided for maintaining proper alignment and to stabilize the bottom portion of the tank, as will hereinafter be described.

In the preferred practice of this invention, the bottom wall 20 of each of the tanks is formed with keys 46 and 48 extending downwardly from the bottom side of the tank along lines radiating from the center and extending in at least two ditferent directions, preferably in directions crosswise and lengthwise of the tank and ship, as illustrated in Figure 2. These keys 46 and 48 are adapted slidably to be received in fitting relation within aligned keyways 50 and 52 respectively formed in the underlying insulation layer 54 upon which the tanks rest when in proper position for use. Thus, when expansion and contraction occur in the tank to change its dimensional characteristics, the one set of keys operative in the keyways will prevent shifting movement of the tank from one side or the other of the centered position, While the other group of keys and keyways will prevent movement of the bottom portion of the tank in the other direction from the center.

In the assembly described, it is important to align the .keys and keyways substantially radially from the center,

otherwise any contraction in the tanks will tend to displace the tanks from their centered position or otherwise will set up forces which will cause deterioration of the insulation supporting the tank in the desired spaced relation from the ships walls or hull structure. If a plurality of laterallyspaced or lengthwise spaced keys and keyways .were employed, the amount of contraction in the tank adapted to receive a key 62 provided in the top wall of the insulated floor 54 upon which the tank rests for supporting the tank in the desired aligned relationship within the ship. Many other modifications of keys and keyways will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

The keyways maintain proper alignment of the independent cargo containers and preserve the location of the containers relative to the ship. Such a key and keyway system running lengthwise of the tank prevents the tank from becoming displaced out of alignment when the ship rolls, while the key and keyway system running crosswise of the tank will prevent the cargo container from being displaced out of alignment when the ship pitches.

The keys are preferably constructed from material having a low thermal conductivity thereby to minimize the leakage of heat from the tanks. The material used in th -keys a d k yways hou characterized y Sufiident ructura st e gth ta With tand the e istin forces generated by the ships motion in a manner to maintain. the independent ear econtainer in prope alignment. It has been found that the insulation layer in which the keys or keyways are formed may preferably befabricated of materials having relatively liigh structural strength, suchas balsa wood, and which may be further strengthened by .the use .of a top ply 64 of a hard wood, plywood, or other structurally strong,- relatively good heat-insulating material.

' In the construction of the keys or keyways in the insulation layer 54, it is desirable to avoid the formation of cracks or other passages through which the cold liquid might escape into engagement with the supporting structure of the ship, since the steel plates of which the ship is formed are generally incapable of standing up under such cold temperatures. Thus, when the insulation is formed of a rigid material of structural strength, such as is preferred in supporting the tank, it is desirable to provide sealing elements of fluid impervious material as a lining about the key or keyway in the insulating layer, as indicated by the plywood lamina 66.

To avoid the formation of cracks or crevices in the insulation, one practice which may be adopted is to route out the keyway from the laid flooring of insulation material after the proper location of the keyway has been determined, as by a template taken from the bottom of the tank. The formed keyway may be lined with plywood 66 or other fluid impervious material. Instead, the area in which the keyway will be located may be built up of boards 68 or other fluid impervious, high strength material laminated together to a depth greater than the depth of the keyway so that the keyway may be routed out without penetrating through the build-up layers of fluid impervious, reinforcing material, thereby to provide a keyway of high strength without cracks or crevices through which the fluid may pass and without penetrating into the softer and more porous insulating layer.

In operation, the elongate radially extending keys in one of the adjacent surfaces of the tank bottom and floor top is slidably received in the aligned, elongate keyways in the other surface to permit expansions and contractions of the tank by Way of radiations from the center,

thereby to maintain the tank properly centered within,

the ship.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that cargo containers of the type described may be incorporated into the hull of a ship or other means of transportation in which rolling or pitching movements might be encountered Withoutloss in control or stability of the tank and without permitting uncontrolled displacement thereof from proper alignment in the ship. The combination of cables suspending the top portion of the tank from the ship and keys and keyways for controlling movements at the bottom portion of the tank, makes possible the shipping of large quantities of tanks of large capacity notwithstanding the fact that the liquids are at a temperature so low that the tank containing the liquids cannot become an integral part of the ships structure.

It will be understood that numerous changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement and operation without departing from the spirit of the invention, especially as defined in the following claims.

We claim:

1. In the transportation of an insulated container on a conveyance means subject to angular movement, means for stabilizing the location of the container on the transporting means while leaving the container free for expansions and contractions comprising means in the upper end of the container for stabilizing its position on the conveyance means comprising cables extending lengthwise and crosswise of at least one-half of the top of the container and secured at one of their ends to the top the conreyanee means at a ievel above theiitop' er the tank, and means in the lower end .of the containerfor stabilizing its position :onthe convleyance'fmean's prising keys extending radially angularly new the-center of the container in .one of theadjacent surfaces-ii clu ing t e bottom of the tank and the floor u on which it rests on'the conveyance means and correspondingly located keyways'in the; other .of the surfaces slidabl-y to rec ive the keys to interconnect the surfaces along lines extending radially from the icenter of the t ank thereby-to permit expansions and contractions in any direction without movement of the tank from its centered position.

2. In the transportation of a container on a ship subject to rolling and pitching, means for stabilizing the location of the container on the ship while leaving the container free for expansion and contraction comprising means in the upper end of the container for stabilizing its position on the ship comprising cables extending lengthwise and crosswise of the ship over at least onehalf of the top of the container and secured at one of their ends to the top of the container and at the other of their ends to the framework of the ship at a level above the top of the container, and means at the lower end of the container for stabilizing its position on the ship comprising keys extending angularly outwardly radially from the center of the tank in one of the adjacent surfaces including the bottom of the tank and the floor upon which it rests in the ship and correspondingly located keyways in the other of the surfaces dimensioned slidably to receive the keys to interconnect the surfaces along lines extending radially from the center of the tank thereby to permit expansions and contractions in any direction without movement of the tank from its centered position.

3. In the assembly of a container of large capacity for holding a low temperature liquid at atmospheric pressure onboard ship for transportation and having insulating means separating the container from the Wall structure of the ship, means for mounting the container independently of the ship to permit expansions and contractions without loss in stability and alignment of the container in the ship comprising means at the upper end of the container for stabilizing its position on the ship including cables extending angularly horizontally with one of their ends secured to the top of the tank and the other of their ends secured to the framework of the ship at a level above the top of the tank, and means at the lower end of the container for stabilizing its position in the ship including keys extending radially from the: center of the tank from one of the adjacent surfaces including the bottom of the tank and the insulating floor upon which it rests and correspondingly located keyways in the other of the surfaces slidably to receive the keys to interconnect the surfaces along lines extending radially from the center of the tank thereby to permit expansions and contractions of the tank in any direction without displacement from its centered position.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3' in which the cables are arranged perpendicularly from each other to extend lengthwise and crosswise of the ship.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which the cables extend over at least one-half of the top of the container.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which the top of the tank is horizontally disposed and in which the cables are disposed at an angle between 0 and 30 I receive the keys therein for relative radial movement int the direction toward and away from the center responsive to contractions and expansions respectively of the tank.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which the insulation adjacent the bottom side of the tank is formed of a material of low heat conductivity having sufficient strength to support the tank and in which a top ply of a structurally strong, fluid impervious material lines the top surface of the insulating floor to impart greater strengthto the interconnecting key and keyway assembly.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 8 in which the floor portion in which the keyway is formed comprises 8 a structurally strong, fluid impervious material to a depth greater than the depth of the keyway.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,229,081 Hansen et al. Jan. 21, 1941 2,800,249 Beckwith July 23, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 76,805 Denmark Dec. 7, 1953 667,215 Great Britain Feb. 27, 1952 

